When applying for internships, pre-professional programs, college or any opportunity as a student, you will most likely be asked for a faculty recommendation letter. Summer programs for 2021 are getting ready to start accepting applications, so I figured it would be the perfect time to break down how to ask for a letter of recommendation! This post will go over asking for recommendations letters (via email and in-person), choosing writers and facilitating/maintaining a strong line of communication with writers!
1. CONSIDER RECOMMENDATION LETTER LOGISTICS
When completing the application for whatever position/school you intend to apply to, make sure you take into account the deadlines for recommendation letters. It is much better to ask faculty for recommendation letters early on. Remember that the people you ask are most likely are writing recommendation letters for other people and have schedules of their own to keep up with. It is better to get a teacher on your radar for writing a letter at least a month in advance so they can put proper effort in your letter and allocate time to complete it in the best way possible.
Also, make sure to know everything that is needed to give a teacher for them to write you a good letter. You may want to include a resume, a brief questionnaire to tell a bit about yourself or even a transcript. Leave time to perfect these resources before giving them to potential writers so they can write you the best letter possible! Writers can get a feel for your work ethic and the relevance of your experiences to what you are applying for from your resume! Make sure that your resume includes jobs, academic courses and volunteering experiences that can be useful to whatever you are applying for.
2. CHOOSE THE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO WRITE YOUR LETTERS
Once, you have figured out the logistics of your recommendation letters, it is time to pick the people you want to have writing these letters for you. My tips are to:
Pick faculty members that are GOOD writers: You do not want to have a recommendation letter filled with grammatical errors.
Ask for letters of recommendations from faculty of different subject areas (and have at least one from a core subject): An English professor will assess you differently from a Chemistry professor. A perspective from both can really help to play to a lot of different traits of yours that may be very well-suited to whatever you are applying for. A well-rounded pool of writers will project a well-rounded version of yourself in recommendation letters.
Pick faculty members that you have cultivated a personal connection with: Ideally, try to have a relationship with writers before you ask them for letters. For one, asking for a recommendation letter is a lot less intimidating when you already have a friendly relationship with who you are asking. Secondly, someone who knows you personally can speak more to your character instead of just academic ability in a recommendation letter.
3. ASKING FOR THE RECOMMENDATION LETTER
I think you will definitely appear very personable and harder to reject if you ask for a recommendation letter in-person! However, COVID-19 has shifted our communication and connection tactics so email requests are becoming increasingly more common. I have included an email format below that you can use when asking for letters!
When asking for a recommendation letter, make sure to explicitly tell your potential writer these three things:
What you are applying for
Why you want them to write your letter
What you specifically need from them
Example Recommendation Email
Subject: [Request for Recommendation Letter for ____ ]
Body:
Hello Dr./Ms./Mr. _____,
I hope this email finds you well. My name is ____ from [acknowledge how you know the writer]. I am applying for [position] at [institution] and wanted to reach out and ask if you could write me a letter of recommendation to supplement my application.
I have really enjoyed being in your course this past year and feel that I have learned a lot from you about ___. The position I am applying for requires ____, ___, and _____. I am grateful to have gotten to know about you personally and academically. I feel that you would be the best person to speak to my character and integrity for this position.
I have attached my resume and transcript to this email and would be more than happy to send anything else you might need to write the recommendation! This letter can be submitted online via this attached link.
My application is due January 31st and I would need the recommendation letter written by January 30th. Please let me know if you are my able to write me a letter, I would greatly appreciate one from you!
Thank you so much! I appreciate you taking the time to read this email and considering my request.
Best,
[Your Name]
4. Thank Your Writers/ Follow-up with them
If your recommendation request is accepted and completed. Be sure to reach out to your writers and thank them! It is important to remain cordial with those who write you letters because you never know when you may need to ask them for letters again.
Personally, I like to follow up on the positions that I do get. I like being able to inform my writers that I got into certain programs that they wrote me letters for and even give them little updates on the programs and things that I have learned! I think it is really important to know how to build and maintain professional relationships like these and this skill could be extremely beneficial in life and other applications.
I hope you find this helpful! Drop your own recommendation letter tips in the comments!
Love always,
Karen